Freshwater management for water quality – a New Zealand perspectivePresentation by New Zealand
UNFCCC SB Sessions, June 2021
Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture Intersessional
Workshop Part A
Agenda
1. New Zealand’s circumstances
2. New Zealand’s approach to freshwater management
3. Case study 1 – Freshwater Farm Plans
4. Case study 2 – Te Awa Tupua
New Zealand’s National Circumstances
• Net exporter of food – 85% total food
production sold internationally
• Agriculture is an important part of the
economy, representing ~10% of GDP and
~75% of our merchandise exports
• ~50% of total land area is used for
horticultural and agricultural purposes
• Temperate climate allows outdoor grazing
to be practised virtually all year round,
including in winter
• Water-rich
Our Challenge and Goal
We aspire to:
• provide consumers with outstanding, ethically
produced food, sourced from our land and oceans
• restore the health of our water
• reverse the decline in biodiversity
• support the economy and our rural communities
OUR GOAL: TO BE THE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE
PROVIDER OF HIGH-VALUE FOOD AND FIBRE
Overarching Framework: Te Mana o te Wai Guided by the Māori worldview
• The health of the climate, land, water
and living systems comes first. When
nature thrives so do our families,
communities and businesses.
• Embrace the Māori view of a deep
relationship of respect and reciprocity
with the natural world.
Essential Freshwater Package
• National Policy Statement for Freshwater
Management 2020
• National Environmental Standards for
Freshwater (NES)
• Resource Management Act
• Stock exclusion regulations
• Measurement and reporting of water
takes
• a faster freshwater planning process
and mandatory and enforceable
freshwater farm plans
Case Study 1: Freshwater Farm Plans
• Designed to create pathways for continual improvement of on-farm
practices by improving performance, resilience and sustainability
• The approach aims to assist farmers to:
• Recognise on-farm environmental risks and provide tools to manage
them
• Focus on water quality, managing nutrient and sediment loss from farm,
and improving farm efficiency by reducing environmental losses.
Case Study 1: Freshwater Farm Plans
Case Study 2:Te Awa Tupua
• Whanganui River first river to be
granted legal personhood in 2017
• Rights, duties, liabilities associated
with legal personhood
• Two appointees as voice of Te Awa
Tupua
• Collaborative body to set strategy for
care for health and wellbeing of Te
Awa Tupua
• Increasing global ambition for sustainable agricultural practises
• The Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases – cobenefits of work
• International research community through our research organisations
• Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture in the UNFCCC
• Food and Agriculture Organisation
• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Two way exchanges directly with Parties through dialogues and discussions at bilateral and regional level
International Collaboration
Opportunities for the UNFCCC
• Highlight importance of agriculture and food
security in the context of climate change for
international community
• Enable information exchange between Parties
leading to policy implementation at regional and
national levels
• Utilise existing financial mechanisms to support
agriculture activities and enable access to
finance
